Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1887-05-26

q 1Ao1 tue time OF Maklnj
the hot-bed for forcing the plants til
the last blowing and hoeing. NOR,
care and attention are required thar
everybody has the patience to bestow
Il = not every farmer who has iust
The right kind Of soil for this crop
a clayey soil is totally unfit. So o.
one undrained and wet. The forme,
viii bake and harden into clods-the
latter will incline the pototoes to rot.
In both, the potatoes viii be long,
straggling and veiny, and of course
nnsslable % well as poor for eating.
Whatis required isa ssfsly soil xitA
enough Of loan to hold it from wash.
lngs by rains and drying cut in hot,
dry weather. All the better If of a
red color, as occurs so frequently on
our tide-water levels, due to the pres
ence of oxide of iron.
A rich soil, however vel. ll.drained
and light. will not do so well as the
poorer sandy one. The ground should
have been broken u p early, and should
De plowed again Lefore planting time.
Mark out with burrows two feet and
a-half apart, and intersect at the same
distance. unless designing to plant in
rows. drill fashion, as is often done bv
truckers. This plan admits of plow.
ing but one way, and the weeds can.
not be kept down so easily. Into the
intersections drop the manure, small
shovelful from the horse stables, but
well decomposed from having lain in |
heaps since early spring, and once or !
twice been forke5 over to make fine
and fit for use.
In many localities along our tide.
waters green sand mail occurs, and is
mixed with the manure with very
good effect. This effect being due
doubtless to the percentage Of potash
1t contains. Wood ashes in small
quantities will supply this requisite
substance, but had better be dropped,
handful in each hill, just before Gov.
ering. The manure as shoveled from
the cart should be covered with hoe
fal OF dirt, as in covering corn, to pre-
can be e'dsla"rv Aftaswa.nd- the plow
the reception of the plants.
If good, healthy potatoes were put
down in the bed, these ought to have
healthy white roots. On the contra
ry, if portions of the roots be black
and some of them entirely rotted
away, it denotes that the seed put
down had the ailment we'll known to
all growers as the black rot, which Of
ten runs through and seriously affects
an entire crop. Sometimes the plants
having this disease will grow and pro-
duce we'll in quantity, but will show
it markedly in the yield. Sometimes,
few weeks after planting, they will
wither up and die. So it will be seen
that good seed is a very important
condition.
For planting out, select a damp
time-all the better is Just before a
shower. Drop from bucket of wa
ter aud press the soil we'll about the
roots. In a few days after, go over
the patch and loosen the dirt with
the fingers around each plant. This
will kill any germs of weeds and let |
in the warmth OF the sun. About this |
time two enemies which have been w.
ing in ambush round about will ap-
pear to yex and bring discomfort to
the planter. The grub worm to cut
off the plant even with the surface,
and the variegated bug to suck the
life from the leaves. For the former
pest there is no remedy but digging
him out of the hole and killing him
on the spot. For the latter, dust Of
ten with plaster and wood ashes.
From this time on, the word is con
slant vigilance-not only against these
enemies, but against the growth of
grass. Keep the tops of the hills
loosened with the hoe, and start the
cultivation before runners shoot out.
We once asked an old colored man,
who always had good crops of the
sweet potato, the secret of his success.
why. boss. jes lives in the patch,
an keeps a movin' about among de
hills, 'sturbeu de insecs. sc dey can't
work der mischief, an keepin' de
groun' stirred up so dat de crab grass
an pusley never gifts start"
/ An ounce Of prevention in this case
Is worth pound of cure always.
Sometimes. by having too much else
to attend to, the farmer almost for
gets this crop, which nobody can sf-
ford to slight; and when he does make
it in the order of business he finds
thai the grasses have got ahead ofthe
plants. and then the cleaning out is
n